MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The Minnesota Timberwolves have opened negotiations with former Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau to be the team’s new coach and president of basketball operations, a person with knowledge of the discussions told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
The person also said San Antonio Spurs assistant general manager Scott Layden is in talks to join Thibodeau’s front office in Minnesota. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team is not disclosing details about its negotiations, which were first reported by Yahoo Sports.
Thibodeau is the most coveted coach on the market, and would bring an instant splash of credibility to a franchise that has been among the worst in the NBA for more than a decade. He won nearly 65 percent of his games in five seasons with the Bulls and got his start in the NBA for the expansion Timberwolves as an assistant under Bill Musselman in 1989.
Minnesota Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor also interviewed ESPN analysts Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson for the job this week. But he has turned his focus to Thibodeau, who is widely viewed as one of the best in-game strategists in the game.
After watching his team miss the playoffs for 12 straight seasons, the longest active streak in the league, Taylor set out to find an accomplished coach and leader who could come in and immediately instill a culture of competitiveness that has been lacking in Minnesota for years.